Chapter 69: Who even catches feelings while watching a stream? LOL

Unlike the chat’s accusations that I was clueless, the cooking was actually going quite well.

Well, technically, brownies are baked, and what I made was just the batter, so I couldn’t be sure yet.

But everything was going smoothly, right?

“If you let the melted chocolate cool slightly, then mix in the egg yolks, and sift the dry ingredients on top—oh, shit!”

It splattered on my laptop!

I was shaking the sieve to sift the cocoa powder when I accidentally spilled some onto my laptop.

“Hold on a second!”

First, flip it over!

Then, dust off the powder!

As I scrambled to clean my laptop, I noticed the chat scrolling upward at an unusually fast speed.

<A cooking stream isn’t complete without some accidents.>
<Oh, getting ready for Valentine’s Day by chocolate-coating the laptop too, huh?>
<“Eek! I made a little mistake!”>
<Every time she shakes her arm, something else shakes too…>
<Nice, nice, nice.>
<Today’s first major screw-up.>
<Why are you shaking the sieve like that? You can do it more gently, you know.>

“It didn’t say to shake it gently!”

<Always giving 110%.>

<Chef! Please save this lost cause!>
<If you shake too hard, other things start shaking too…> (Message deleted.)

Why were they so excited over my mistake?

Had they been waiting for me to mess up?

“Camera privileges revoked.”

I placed a large mixing bowl right in front of my phone camera.

Now, all they could see was a plastic surface blocking the entire screen.

<She’s sulking.>
<I’m sorry, please bring the screen back! 😭>
<Is the streamer pouting?>
<Aw, I was enjoying the, uh… movement.> (Message deleted.)
<Cowards.> (Message deleted.)
<Our little one is sensitive, so we must be gentle with her.>
<All of you who teased her, get out!>
<It’s normal for a beginner to make mistakes.>
<Honey, I’ll do the cooking. Please just go watch TV in the living room.>
<Open the screen! Open the screen! Open the screen!>
<They can’t even admit they liked it!> (Message deleted.)
<Waaah, Mommy, it’s too cold in here!>
<Why sulk over something so small? LOL>

Half of them were still eager to tease me, while the other half seemed to be having a meltdown over the blocked screen.

This kind of thing was tricky.

Even though I called them all “viewers,” they were already splitting into two different camps.

How was I supposed to keep up with both sides?

I moved the bowl away.

I couldn’t keep broadcasting a blank screen forever.

As if I’d actually sulk over something like that.

“If you don’t want to be stuck with a black screen, behave.”

<Thank you, thank you, thank you!>
<She only removed it to act like she wasn’t pouting, LOL.>
<So cute!>
<Is this an attempt at training us?>
<Why does it feel like this turned into a broth-making stream?>

[User “DarkBroth” has donated 1,000 KRW.]

“So, who are you going to give it to? So, who are you going to give it to? So, who are you going to give it to? So, who are you going to give it to? So, who are you going to give it to?”

<Whoa, don’t go dark on us now.>
<If she had a boyfriend, would she really be streaming while making brownies? LOL.>

<She doesn’t even have friends, let alone a boyfriend.>
<You’d be surprised how many girls have no friends but do have boyfriends.>
<Gasp!>
<Wait… is her late-night drinking stream actually a warning to her boyfriend not to cheat?>
<Gasp!>

What kind of ridiculous conspiracy theories were these?

I ignored the chat asking who I was making brownies for, but that only seemed to push one viewer into full-blown paranoia.

“This is just for fun, right? None of you actually have romantic feelings for a streamer, right? How do you even catch feelings for someone you’ve never met or seen in real life?”

<Whoa, that was a brutal AOE attack.>
<LMAO, these broth boys are nasty. (Ahhh, that hurt so bad!)>
<LOL, if you want to meet a girl, go outside. (Wait, isn’t the streamer also a shut-in?)>
<Uhh, the chat is starting to boil over… (If she has a boyfriend, I’m leaving this stream for good.)>

[User “oo” has donated 1,000 KRW.]

“A girl who tells people not to act like simps is literally running a cooking stream designed to bait simps? What’s your deal, you thot?”

“Simp? Bait? Cooking stream?”

I just started a simple cooking stream—why is this suddenly turning into some kind of “simp training” session?

“When you guys watch professional chefs on YouTube, do you start catching feelings for them too?”

<Now that you mention it, that is pretty weird.>

<So the ones getting trained are the weird ones, huh?>
<Stop showing off your feminine charm!!!>

<They’d accuse a girl of seduction just for breathing, LOL.>
<20.>
<You little FOX…>

[User “DemonBroth” has donated 1,000 KRW.]

“So, who are you going to give it to? So, who are you going to give it to? So, who are you going to give it to? So, who are you going to give it to?”

<So, that means you have a boyfriend?>
<Obviously, you’re making them for me, right?>

“Of course, I’m giving them to a guy.”

<She finally showed her true colors, this traitorous wench!>
<I loved you, you backstabbing—!>
<Don’t fall for it! It’s a trick to filter out the weak simps!>
<(Insert a wall of fire emojis.)>
<There’s no way a shut-in like her has a boyfriend.>
<This isn’t real life!!!!>
<Victory? Wild? WHO IS HE?!>
<Say it’s “friendship chocolate”! Say it’s “friendship chocolate”!>
<Friendship turns into love, you know. SOB.>
<Are you trying to drive me insane? Are you trying to drive me insane? Are you trying to drive me insane?>

“My dad, you idiots. My dad.”

<Phew.>
<Ah, okay. Dad is acceptable.>
<What a filial daughter, LOL.>
<Sir! Please allow me to marry your daughter!>
<No simps actually got emotionally invested, right? LOL.>

Looking at them closely, these guys were like bots that spit out programmed reactions based on specific keywords.

Not actual bots, of course—more like creatures completely consumed by memes, acting out those memes automatically.

“Hey, when you guys spam ‘LOL LOL LOL LOL,’ are you actually laughing? I feel like your facial muscles stay completely still while only your fingers do the laughing.”

<Gasp!>
<That can’t be true! LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL.>
<There’s a hidden camera in my room!>
<Wait, you’re monitoring us? I’m kinda into that.>
<Shit, I didn’t wash my hair today.>
<If it’s not funny, I don’t type ‘LOL.’>
<Wait, you’re giving some to your dad—what about your mom?>

“Alright, now we sift the flour and mix in the meringue.”

The cooking was nearly done.

Aside from a minor incident involving my laptop getting coated in chocolate, everything was going smoothly!

“Be careful not to mix too aggressively, or the meringue will deflate.”

I dedicate this moment to our honorable Master Chef.

After finishing the batter, I poured it into a parchment-lined baking pan.

One square pan and four muffin molds.

The final result would be rectangular brownies and cupcake-shaped ones.

“Now, we just bake them in the oven for 25 minutes.”

And I even had something planned for those 25 minutes.

Hmm.

Was this really okay to go ahead with?

“Guys, since Valentine’s Day is coming up, I was thinking of doing a giveaway. I was going to send homemade brownies to a few lucky viewers.”

<I never doubted you for a second! Damn it!>
<Legend! Legend! Legend! Legend! Legend!>
<I have never once received chocolate on Valentine’s Day, and I desperately need this.>
<Why is someone already playing the sympathy card?>
<Do you think you’re the only one here who’s never gotten chocolate?>
<Ah… Aaaaah…>

“But, looking at chat earlier, you guys are kinda scary. This is all just for fun, right? None of you are actually catching feelings or turning into stalkers, right?”

<Of course, it’s just for fun LOL.>
<Oh, so you’re sending out homemade brownies, but still pretending this isn’t a simp-baiting stream?>
<Crazy. Crazy. Crazy. Crazy. Crazy. Crazy.>
<Reading way too much into this, huh?>

“See? This is why I’m scared to go through with it.”

<Bury him!>

<Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die.>
<So… is the giveaway canceled?>